Searching the Internet/WWW

The purpose of this lesson is to introduce you to searching techniques on the Internet and World Wide Web.

How do you find things on the Internet and Web?

We talked about the Net's content in a previous lesson as well as the cautionary advice to treat its content more like a diverse city than a library.

The big adventure of the Net, to me, is the vast amount of content. Since 1994 when Net use began to really take off, there has been so much content added online--and good conent--that it is mind boggling.

While in 1993, I believe I had visited every Web site in existence (hey, I had time on my hands, and there were only a few hundred), the Web filled up so quickly with content that it be impossible now for any human to do so.

Therefore, techniques and tools for searching are imperative if you are going to find what you want.

You'll need to learn to use tools, generically called "search engines." Read this tutorial about "How Search Engines Work."

Types of Searching

Subject searching
Keyword searching
People searching
Geographic searching: a variety of mapping services; indexes and guides to place-based information.
Time searching--find old Web pages: "Way Back Machine"
Protocol searching: Net Spaces
"Best of the Web" searching: Top
Portal searching: lycos.com, go.com, yahoo.com.

Searching Tips

A good resources to read is the Search Engine Tutorial by Pandia.

Come up with key identifying words or phrases that would uniquely identify what you are trying to find and use these in search engines.
Use bookmarks or "favorites" to quickly record the URL of resources that interest you.
Take note of resources that are listed or cited often in annotated listings of resources; these popular resources may be very useful.
Remember, everything changes on the Net.
Use your information literacy skills to appropriately evaluate Internet-based information.
You can cite a Net resource in a paper; just include the URL in the citation and the date you visited the URL and the date stamp (if any) on the page.

Exercise: Search the Internet and Web

Spend some time trying out all the searching methods discussed in this lesson to find some things online that interest you. How easy is it to find useful information? Do you trust the information you find?